I think it is a great thing to have. I love to take the dogs with us and they fit well in the pathfinder, but not in the speed. We have 2 kids and seven seats. At some point your kids will have friends and they will want to have them go places with you so it is nice to have more seats than kids for that as well. My answer is buy what you want, yes sometimes I feel silly driving a big car all alone, but when we camp for a week, or we have family in town, or friends kids also it is awesome.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is carpooling. Once the kids are old enough to not need carseats, it's great to be able to load up the van and trade out driving duties. Without the extra seating I have in a minivan I wouldn't have that option.

We bought a minivan with 2 kids! We're expecting our 3rd now, but I loved it with just 2. You can fit lots of friends (yours or the kids) and haul whatever you need to. On road trips, since you don't need the back row, you can down it down and put the doggie bed.

I think it would be perfect for you. We bought our first van when our oldest was 6 months old. We are now a family of six and honestly I think I will always have a van even when the kids have moved out. Especially with moving, and the dog, and company visiting.

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Jodie, crazy in love with my boys, and welcoming our brand new bundle Will (3-28-10)

I wouldn't do it. Yes, there are times a minivan would have come in handy, but for day to day driving, I am honestly ready to downsize. I have a Toyota Highlander w/ a 3rd row. The 3rd row is rarely up. With just DD and DS, I really do feel like it is too big and I need to go smaller and get something with better gas mileage. (I drive about 3K miles every 6 weeks and at only 20mpg, that means I spend A LOT on gas.) We do have 2 100 lb dogs, so I would need a wagon or a smaller SUV, but I do look forward to the day when my car dies and I can get a smaller one.

We would still use the Scion frequently. The van is mine while DH is at work or for grocery shopping, times when we have the dog and stroller, etc. So the Scion will still be used more.

Minivans are more necessary these days because of how long kids are in big carseats. Our parents might not have needed them, but we do.

That said, I have a "mini mini-van," the Mazda 5. It's the width of a compact car and about 9 inches longer, so it's not a true mini-van, but it's great for my needs (two kids, not planning to have any more, no dog). We just wanted something that would fit my Joovy Ultralight Caboose plus groceries, and something that would accommodate the very occasional extra passenger. But we live in the city with parallel parking, alleys, and small garages (people always say, "Oh look at that cute shed" when they look out the back window, and I have to say, "No, that's my garage. My car is in there." Ha. So we literally couldn't fit anything bigger.

If we wind up with a third, then we'd probably get a true minivan, but right now I'm in car nirvana.

ETA: Almost everyone at DD's preschool has a midsize or large SUV, and I just don't get it. Now that I have the sliding doors, I can't go back. But like I said, I live in an urban setting, and most of these parents live in the suburbs, so I guess they have driveways to park in. I drove a big SUV around over Thanksgiving and the carseat dance in parking lots was not fun. Sliding doors for the win!

If you are even remotely THINKING mini-van DRIVE A SIENNA. I love mine & its a '99!!

And--hello fam. of four over here & you've seen how useful mine has been!

I thought of you guys of course but you pick up other kids as well. Josh came in the room at midnight last night saying if I wanted the Tribeca that badly we could get one. They are hard to find in this area though so if there isn't a good one when the tax refund comes, we will get a van.

I thought of you guys of course but you pick up other kids as well. Josh came in the room at midnight last night saying if I wanted the Tribeca that badly we could get one. They are hard to find in this area though so if there isn't a good one when the tax refund comes, we will get a van.

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Well, it is possible we might be losing a vehicle this year, so it would come in handy to have a friend with passenger space. Just saying.....

With increased taxes & insurance costs we might not be able to keep both vehicles.